Make Your Point > Archived Issues > EL DORADO
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pronounce
EL DORADO:
Say it "ELL duh ROD oh."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
Ready for a challenge?
1. What's a type of fish whose name comes from Latin and means "golden"?
2. What's a type of bird whose name also comes from Latin and also means "golden"?
3. What's a crunchy snack whose name--you guessed it--comes from Latin and means "little golden ones"?
If you need some hints, here's one for each question:
1. Just keep swimming.
2. New England baseballers.
3. Dusty orange fingertips.
If you said "dory," "oriole," and "Doritos," well done!
Those names all trace back to Latin words for "gold" or "gilded," just like the term we're checking out today, El Dorado.
Speaking of all things golden, see if you can recall a rare adjective that means "glittering with gold, or so lovely that it seems to glitter with gold--or, seeming to glitter with fake gold because it's just sparkly nonsense." The word is cl_____nt.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
The term "El Dorado" is Spanish for "The Gilded," or "The Golden One." It traces back to the Latin deaurare, "to gild: to cover in gold." Inside deaurere, you can see the shadow of aurum, "gold."
We've used "El Dorado" in English since 1596, when Sir Walter Raleigh wrote about his expedition to find a rumored lost city of gold, which he named El Dorado. He didn't find it, but "El Dorado" stuck around as a phrase, a legend, and a metaphor.
An El Dorado (or, if you prefer, an Eldorado) is any real or imagined place filled with incredible riches or opportunities.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Noun, the proper kind, so you capitalize it: "He'll never give up looking for his El Dorado."
Other forms:
You can pluralize it: "El Dorados."
A note about articles:
Even though "El Dorado" already has an article in it (the Spanish "el," meaning "the"), in English, we ignore the article and treat the whole phrase as a single countable noun, saying things like "He's searching for his El Dorado" and "She hopes this will be an El Dorado." Yes, that means we're literally saying things like "his the gilded" and "an the gilded." Just part of the fun of languages smashing together, right?
how to use it:
Most of the time, when you hear "El Dorado," it's in reference to history, legend, or present-day place names. As a name or a phrase, it offers so much mythic richness and glittering mystique that it remains a popular choice for places and businesses, and equally popular as source material for art and literature. Check out the Poe poem, the Shakira album, and the DreamWorks movie with its phenomenal soundtrack.
On occasion, we use "El Dorado" figuratively.
You might talk about people seeking or finding their El Dorado. You might refer to some wonderful, glittering, promising, exciting, hard-to-find or even non-existent place or situation as your own El Dorado. This El Dorado of yours might be some wonderful new neighborhood, farmer's market, professional field, or social media platform. Here's William R. Bradshaw: "After all, if imagination be our fellow-traveller, we might well discover El Dorados within easy reach of our own townships."
Although you might pick the phrase "El Dorado" (instead of, say, "holy grail") to emphasize that someone's search is hopeless, unrealistic, or perhaps greedy, in most cases, "El Dorado" has a very positive tone.
examples:
"All his ambitions were bent on a business career in New York, the El Dorado of his imagination."
— Katharine Lee Bates, Spanish Highways and Byways, 1900
"The south-central-highlands town [of Dalat], a former French-colonial hill station with eternal spring weather, is an agricultural El Dorado, growing asparagus, strawberries, coffee, artichokes, roses and more."
— Sanjay Surana, New York Times, 7 January 2016
has this page helped you understand "El Dorado"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "El Dorado" without saying "city of gold" or "land of milk and honey."
try it out:
In her diary, Anne Frank wrote:
"I still have a bad cold and have passed it on to Margot, as well as Mother and Father. If only Peter doesn't get it. He insisted on a kiss, and called me his El Dorado. You can't call a person that, silly boy! But he's sweet anyway!"
She's got a point: it's usually a place, not a person, that we call El Dorado. But I love the idea anyway of calling someone your El Dorado.
Talk about who (or what) your El Dorado is. What is it about this beloved person (or place) that shines like a glittering city of gold?
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game for August is "Heard it in Hamilton."
Check out a snippet of lyrics from Hamilton: An American Musical, and see if you can come up with the missing word. You can check your answer by scrolling all the way down.
Try this one today:
ANGELICA:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident,
That all men are created equal,"
And when I meet Thomas Jefferson,
I’ma _____ him to include women in the sequel!
Definition of the missing word: "to urge someone to do something, or even to force them to do it."
Number of syllables: 2.
review this word:
1.
A near opposite of EL DORADO is
A. EXODUS.
B. WASTELAND.
C. NIGHTMARE.
2.
Edgar Allan Poe wrote:
"Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had _____ long,
Singing a song,
_____ Eldorado."
A. battled .. Protecting
B. toiled .. For love of
C. journeyed .. In search of
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Say it "ELL duh ROD oh."
Ready for a challenge?
The term "El Dorado" is Spanish for "The Gilded," or "The Golden One." It traces back to the Latin deaurare, "to gild: to cover in gold." Inside deaurere, you can see the shadow of aurum, "gold."
Part of speech:
Most of the time, when you hear "El Dorado," it's in reference to history, legend, or present-day place names. As a name or a phrase, it offers so much mythic richness and glittering mystique that it remains a popular choice for places and businesses, and equally popular as source material for art and literature. Check out the Poe poem, the Shakira album, and the DreamWorks movie with its phenomenal soundtrack.
"All his ambitions were bent on a business career in New York, the El Dorado of his imagination."
Explain the meaning of "El Dorado" without saying "city of gold" or "land of milk and honey."
In her diary, Anne Frank wrote:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
1.
A near opposite of EL DORADO is
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
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